Make Me
by Glory For Sleep
Summary: "Make me stop hunting you. Make me stop fighting you. Make me stop hurting you. Make me stop loving you." Zangoose/Seviper


Hey peoples!

Well, this is my response to the Feudshipping (ZangoosexSeviper) bug that seems to be going around. I tried my best to add some depth into the whole rivalry between Seviper and Zangoose in the midst of it.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Make Me**

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-ooo-

Pain.

Hurt.

War.

Those were the only words that ever ran through a Seviper or Zangoose's mind – words of misery, anguish, tragedy, tribulation that no other Pokemon could ever understand; a different concept of war built from the sole rivalry the aforementioned species held towards one another, may it have lacked a reason for existing. It was a feud, a dangerous one that lasted since the dawn of time when Pokemon walked the earth long before humans even learned to stand, to talk, to think beyond the instincts their Slaking and Vigoroth relatives already shared. It was something no one could explain; it was all just a vast amount of hatred that burned in a Seviper's eyes whenever one gazed upon a Zangoose, or whatever punishment circulated through the said normal type's head when it caught sight of the familiar snake Pokemon.

It was a civil war, needless to say. All tribes that consisted of Zangoose or Seviper gained territorial hues whenever they saw one from their rivaling species. Usually, despite the scheming countenance that Seviper seemed to portray, they tended to stay out of the way of other native Pokemon and remain hidden in the dark sanctuaries of whatever forest happened to house them. Zangoose, on the other hand, were known to be an arrogant species, usually pushing others away from their favorite feeding spots and watering holes. Although, apart from that, they were a quiet race as well, choosing to stick to their own business rather than forcing themselves into the ones of others.

Every time two tribes that were made up of Zangoose and Seviper noticed that they both thrived on the same piece of land, a deadly clash would occur – a war that would last days, nights, even months depending on how long it took for one of the tribes to wipe the other out. Sometimes the Seviper won, basking in the glory of the battle's outcome with cheer and celebration, while the Zangoose did the same whenever the conclusion happened to end in their favor. Most of the time, though, it was a tie – both tribes were left dead on the ground, bleeding and painting a horrific scene across the forest floor after their brawl ended. Even with the high percent of the said case occurring, the two species always fought one another despite. Rivalry was the only thing that was ever on their minds. It was a war for the two races that would never end; a war that would bring trial and depression to those who didn't want to be involved with the battles – those who envied for peace to be a virtue; for love to still exist rather than hatred. These thoughts even ran through the minds of those who were fighting – from those who were forced into battle out of the mere fact that they showed what it took to take down a Zangoose or Seviper.

Vendrus knew this; he knew it all too well.

The said Seviper was snapped away from his thoughts when a powerful Mega Kick was torn his way – the owner: a snarling Zangoose whose scarlet eyes were drenched with hatred. The poison type didn't have time to comprehend a dodge – all around him his fellow Seviper fell under the claws of their rivaling species; two tribes who lived peacefully in the very forest that surrounded their grassy battlefield. After discovering the presence of the other, though, a full brawl had occurred. Moans of pain were the only sounds that filled the spaces between the towering trees, the metallic-like clanks of clashing attacks soon joining in with the collage of misery that decked the battlegrounds. Despite that the sky was sunny, its blueness revealed through white, smeared clouds, the smell of blood was the only thing that mended in with the warmth of the atmosphere.

Vendrus narrowed his eyes, going by instinct as the attacking Zangoose approached, and therefore lunging his poison-tipped tail forward, its spear-like end soon making contact with the furry underside of the opposing Pokemon. The Zangoose screeched in pain, veering off course and colliding with the ground only a few feet away from the exhausted Seviper, leaving the snake Pokemon to gaze upon the fallen cadaver with a hint of sympathy. He didn't want to fight; he wanted peace. But he had to fight for his tribe, for his pack, for his family, despite how much he wanted to solve the feud with words rather than violence.

No one would listen to him, though. To the rivalry that lingered with the Zangoose and Seviper species, war was the only solution.

Vendrus slithered around down the foregrounds, rolling out of the way whenever a Seviper was thrown towards him, or a Zangoose attempted a hit and run attack with a deadly slash of its glowing claws. He knew that the battle would soon be over, as only a few fighters remained on the battlefield – about ten Seviper and nine Zangoose. Somehow, despite the advantage of having an extra warrior, Vendrus could predict that the battle was going to end with a tie, which was why calling out for his team to retreat plagued his urges. However, he knew how stubborn his pack members were – that they wouldn't follow his order and would instead choose to fight until the end, may they die in the process or survive.

The Seviper could feel himself curse under his gasping breath. He wanted the war between their species to end once and for all - for peace to be allowed back in like it was originally planned to. However, even if the option of avoiding being a contribution to the sick battle that was occurring all around him existed through his ability to escape into the forest, leaving the battlegrounds behind, he knew he couldn't flee from the needs of his comrades.

He was part of the war now, despite how much he wished he wasn't.

-ooo-

All around her, her comrades were dying.

Xandréa snarled to herself, watching as a fellow Zangoose was pushed to the ground in a painful heap right in front of her figure. Her own body was scarred, blood caking her fur in places where deep gashes had been placed, and all due to either the needle fangs or the spear-like tails of the rivaling species – Seviper.

'Rival'…Xandréa hated that word; despised it. It was because of that simple word were the two races of Seviper and Zangoose forced into a natural war all over the planet. The battle her pack had engaged in with a Seviper one after they both discovered that the other's habitat happened to reside in the same forest that surrounded them was simply just another daily battle for the two species – on instinct they lusted to see the other's blood spilled across the grassy ground.

Speaking of 'instinct', Xandréa had grown to hate that word as well. It was because of rivalry and instinct did the never-ending war between Seviper and Zangoose remain never-ending. Unlike most of her pack members, she saw the war as an endless bloodbath rather than a solution; although after years of growing up in a Seviper-hated environment, she had grown used to the custom of automatically hating the said snake Pokemon. She had seen Seviper kill her own family members right in front of her, and regardless of her envy to see peace for once in her life, she had always carried a severe hatred towards the very race she wished only held a connection of calmness with hers. She never found her ability to think beyond her rivaling instinct abnormal, although, whenever she expressed it to her fellow comrades, they either laughed at her for humoring them with preposterous ideas, or simply scolded her for stating such 'blasphemy'.

Her idea of peace was spat at among her pack. She supported them only because her family, which was part of it, had nowhere else to go. If she wanted to make a living for her and her family, she needed to fight; to ignore her urge of running and leaving the battle behind. If she were to do the aforementioned, her family would be exiled, leaving them alone in a territory that seemed to thrive with more murderous Seviper than it did anything else.

They would die out there if she didn't kill - if she didn't murder.

The young Zangoose escaped her confusing thoughts as she examined the status of the battle. More and more of her comrades were going down; the Seviper suffering the same fate. Sooner or later it would become a tie, and she would be forced to choose if she wanted to sacrifice herself of battling whatever snake Pokemon was left when she was the only one of her kind standing, or fleeing the area and hoping to dear Arceus that her remaining pack members would understand her choice among the situation. When thought about, the sum of all her thoughts equaled one conclusion.

She didn't want war; she wanted peace.

Xandréa found herself ceasing in movement when she came across one Seviper – a Seviper that, for the first time since the beginning of the battle, did not lunge towards her in a blink of an eye, but instead stayed in place, watching her with a narrowed, hatred-filled gaze. Despite how different the beginning seconds of their encounter had begun from the ones she had been involved in with prior, Xandréa kneeled down into an intimidating position, baring her claws but yet keeping the calm-type of angriness protruding from her facial expression as the Seviper was doing.

However, when she caught a glint of regret glisten from his thin irises, she felt a sudden urge to drop her jaw in bewildered awe.

This Seviper…there was something different about him.

-ooo-

Vendrus could feel his breath get trapped in his throat as he came across another Zangoose. This one appeared to be female, her scarlet eyes narrowed into slits upon noticing his approach. She quickly got into a battling position, but to his surprise she had yet to shoot forward like a bullet, engaging him into a bloody brawl then and there like all of the other previous Zangoose he had battled before. Instead, she stood there, blood-covered fur dancing in synch with the grass below as breezes rushed through the heated atmosphere of the battlefield; and, somehow, the sight of her lack of movement gave him time to realize something – something that didn't sound like it would be a big deal, but yet, to him, it was something that caused regret to glisten among his eyes.

In only a few seconds, one of them would be dead.

As the war around them had listed with its endless process – as their very rivaling instincts brought them to believe – they would both soon make contact, tails impaling and claws slashing. One of them would fall to the ground…murdered, while the victor would be forced to continue with their life, living with the guilt of being the killer to one who was technically innocent – only fighting because they were pressured into doing so. He knew he would, although for her he wasn't quite sure. Maybe she found enjoyment in killing Seviper; maybe she was standing back only to provoke nervousness to rise within him – something of that horrific hue that would be satisfying to her blood-lusting countenance.

However, even then, as said before, he didn't want to fight. As the realization of the prior thoughts ran laps through his mind, he found himself feeling more and more awful; the guilt of being a murderer surging through his veins and convincing him to display an expression of remorse as his eyes fell upon the fallen Zangoose that littered the grassy grounds around him. He didn't care if he was supposed to fight for the sake of his pack, as he was now convinced that staying alive, allowing the regret of it all to linger with him until the moment he died, was worse than achieving victory in a natural battle of instinct.

While his thoughts debated on the inside of him, conflicting together in the form of an internal apocalyptic brawl, he didn't notice how the Zangoose's jaw dropped slightly at the sight of his regretful figure. He didn't notice that her eyes were slowly losing their forced hue of hatred, and instead gaining a glimpse of bewilderment, along with an implication of hope.

Hope that he, perhaps, thought the same way that she did.

Vendrus, on the other hand, growled to himself, finally giving into his need of being away from the war and taking off into the forest trees right beside him. He couldn't fight it anymore – he wanted to be away from the pain, hurt, and misery; away from the blood, scars, and bereavements – away from it all. He thought nothing of what would happen if any surviving Seviper realized his lack of contribution, or the outcome of his life if the Zangoose he had come across was in the midst of chasing and hunting him down.

All he thought about was his need to get away.

All he thought about was his need to escape the conflict.

All he thought about was his urge to ignore the fact that his fellow Seviper wanted him to fight.

Because, if they did, they were going to have to make him.

-ooo-

Xandréa could not begin to comprehend what she had figured upon seeing the male Seviper in front of her display what she was certain was regret for the act of facing her. Even if no attacks had been performed, she had been more affected by the mere dimmed hue of his gaze than any Leer or Scary Face performance that had been thrown at her previously. She was surprised, to say the least, that such an expression hinted at one attribute she had grown to believe was oxymoronic for Seviper to have.

Remorse.

Sympathy.

Regret.

Of course, before she could mutter out even a bewildered grunt, the Seviper had taken off into the forest, disappearing into the shaded sanctuary and leaving the battle behind. Had he run away to confuse her, perhaps? Was he retaliating right now and was already in the midst of sneaking up on her? Or did he really…

…not want to fight?

She knew that jumping to conclusions led to failure, and she was probably doing the aforementioned. However, for some reason, she begged to differ about the possibility that her theories were wrong – that a Seviper couldn't possibly feel such emotions and actually attempt to run away from a war that his expression showed he didn't want to be a part of. If such a thing was true, then perhaps she was not the only one who wanted peace among their packs, or the only one who wanted the war between their two races to end once and for all. She had indeed seen other Zangoose who didn't support all of the fighting, but she had never seen a Seviper – an actual member of the opposing team.

Before she knew it, she had taken off after the Seviper. She didn't care if the other Zangoose saw this as a cheap escape; she wanted to verify if there was actually regret of the war lying within a Pokemon her instincts had forced her to despise. She wanted to see if someone shared her thoughts apart from her own family members, and as she entered the bowels of the forest, catching faint glimpses of obsidian as the snake Pokemon she was chasing took sharp turns, going deeper into the cool-aired environment, her eyes lost their angry hue altogether, giving into the one of curiosity and bewilderment they wanted to portray. In the midst of this, it wasn't long before the cries of the battlefield behind her became nothing but a forgotten memory.

This Seviper…he _was_ different.

-ooo-

Vendrus stopped in movement when he came across a cave hidden in a stony hill, emerald moss crawling up and into the crevasses of the rocks that made up the anomaly. The entrance was nearly hidden beneath a short gap in the cave's rising front, although the Seviper wasted no time in slithering towards it, crawling into the small aforementioned arch that configured the opening into the dark room inside. Vendrus noticed how large the cavern was, going further into it in a tunnel-like manner, the ceiling drenched in a sea of obsidian and dry stalactites, while the cold, stone ground cushioned his damp scales. He found himself taking comfort by leaning against a wall somewhat deep into the cave, breathless since he had maneuvered around the forest fast just to get to a place where the drums of war couldn't be heard and the odds of him being found by an opposing Zangoose was low.

It looked like he had found such a place.

The cavern was deserted, it seemed, leaving Vendrus the only occupant. He was relived by this – that he was given space where he could think over his thoughts, perhaps return to the battlefield if he somehow convinced himself that it was the right thing to do, even when he knew inside of his heart that it wasn't. The atmosphere remained calm and quiet, his gasps for air being amplified in the echoing environment – the lack of barricades making his voice sound louder than it was.

And also allowing the footsteps of an intruder to be heard.

Vendrus' eyes widened upon hearing the slaps of feet against stone ground. Was it a Pokemon who lived here, he thought? Was it one of his fellow Seviper searching for him, maybe even coming to inform him that the battle was over? Or was it…

…a Zangoose?

The Seviper felt slightly nervous since the possibility of this conclusion's occurrence still existed. Despite how much he didn't support the war – the brawl of their species – he knew he had to protect himself if the situation required it. Because of this he put on a face of determination, his eyes slowly regaining their hues of hatred, and he felt himself tense up as the shadow of whatever had entered the cave painted itself across the wall that broke off into the area he was in. As the silhouetted figure grew smaller across the wall, the sounds of the owner's footsteps grew louder, soon ceasing altogether when the figure's identity was revealed as it stepped around the corner.

As Vendrus speculated, it was a Zangoose.

Immediately the Seviper added emphasis to his angry expression, hinting that he was ready to fight when the Zangoose was. He knew that running away this time would be futile; no doubt would the normal type catch him and therefore he prepared himself to brawl in the act of defense. The Zangoose's face fell upon seeing his reaction to its presence, but nonetheless mimicked him and got into an offensive formation.

It was then when Vendrus realized something.

The Zangoose was the female Zangoose he had met earlier - the Zangoose who didn't lunge towards him like her aggressive brethren, instead displaying bewilderment and curiosity upon seeing his expression of remorse and regret. She was the Zangoose he, for some reason, was certain was different than from the rest. Even then, though, why did she follow him? Did she really want to kill him? Or…something else?

As if on cue, the female Zangoose snorted, relaxing her muscles as if forcing herself to throw away her battle stance and shake into a calm position. "Listen," she then began, her voice hinting her strength, and Vendrus could tell that she wasn't one of those females one could pushover easily, "I didn't come here to cause violence."

Despite her words, Vendrus knew the Zangoose species all too well, and therefore he didn't give into his urge to relax, instead keeping a tone of suspicion and anger in his voice: "Then why did you follow me? Don't you want to go kill the other Seviper on the battlefield?"

"Listen here, _buddy_!" the female Zangoose snarled, offended by his words as she pointed her claw forward in a threatening manner. "I don't wanna be in this war anymore than you do!"

Vendrus' eyes widened then and there. How did she know that he didn't want to fight? And - did he hear correctly? - she didn't want to be in the battle either? _Impossible, _his mind grunted. Nonetheless, he kept his façade of hatred plastered across his figure, his next words coming out with quietness. "Then…why did you follow me, Zangoose?"

The Zangoose narrowed her eyes, calming herself, yet her quirked brow signified her annoyance at his choice of words. "Excuse me, _Seviper_, I got a name. It's Xandréa."

Vendrus blinked, his anger dissipating. _Xandréa?_ he thought. _That's…sort of…beautiful._

Of course, once he thought over what he had mentally muttered, he shook it away, scolding himself for it.

"You?"

Xandréa's one-word question tore the Seviper away from his thoughts, causing him to eye her as she crossed her arms.

"Vendrus," was all the Seviper replied, short and simple, his suspicion still lingering.

"Oh, that's cute," Xandréa then muttered, sarcasm riding her mellow tone, and all Vendrus did was roll his eyes out of his own annoyance. "Now, back to the question at hand," she began again, "I followed you because it's obvious we both think on the same page."

"And that would be?"

Xandréa snorted at his obliviousness, although the scoff in his voice had hinted something other than unknowingness. "I'm talking about how we both don't believe in the war." She narrowed her eyes. "No offense, but I honestly thought Seviper wouldn't dare have the generosity to think this way."

Vendrus tightened his frown. "Aye, and I honestly thought all Zangoose were too heartless to think this way as well."

Xandréa's snarl came back, although she stayed herself before she lunged, instead hissing, "I'll pretend as if you didn't say that." Placing her claws on her hips, she redirected her attention to the task at hand. "Now, since we both think on the same page, maybe we can start some sort of rebellion against the current battle that's going on back there and work on from then-"

"I'm not going back."

Xandréa blinked, her face falling. "Wait…_what_?"

Vendrus turned around, leaning against the rocky wall, eyes closed. "I'm not going back. Face it, even if we were to join forces, no matter what we do they wouldn't listen to us. Our species have been fighting since the dawn of time. How's _one _Seviper and _one _Zangoose who happen to agree on _one_ thing going to change all of that?"

The female Zangoose opened her mouth as if to retort, but as his words ran through her mind, the reality of it all came upon her and she could only allow her eyes to display sadness as her jaw hung open limply. She brought her dimmed gaze to rest upon Vendrus as he eyed the floor with hopeless eyes, noticing then that his words had come out with such feeling…such emotion; something way behind Xandréa had ever expected a Seviper to have. In that short amount of time, she felt like she wasn't talking to just a Seviper; but someone who understood what she thought; what she hoped; and knew more about it than what she did herself. Even if she hadn't known him for long, she could tell that he was the type who would be dedicated to something he believed in, but yet knew when something wasn't right or when it wouldn't work out.

She had grown to admire people like that.

A sigh escaped her lips, although this time it was one of despondency. She slouched underneath her stance, and for some reason she couldn't help herself as she walked over and sat right beside Vendrus, in which the snake Pokemon didn't mind her closeness, but instead kept his thin gaze to the ground below. Xandréa wanted to say something – anything – that would make both of them feel better; but only one comment poured from her lips with slight hues of compassion – something usually abnormal when compared to the daily toughness she was known to have.

"You…you really don't want to fight anymore, do you?"

Vendrus blinked ever so slowly, but eventually turned his head to face her, convincing her to gape her mouth slightly at the sight of his hurt eyes. Unbeknownst to her, he felt as if he had forgotten that she was a member of his supposed mortal enemies, and now he was talking to her as any ally would. "I'm sick of seeing blood," he sighed, tone slow and quiet, Xandréa watching with sympathetic eyes. "I'm sick of seeing pain, corpses, and misery all under the mere instinct of our species. Why do we fight? Just…_why_?" He allowed his head to hang low as Xandréa turned away out of her own accord.

"I don't know…" she murmured. "I wish I could tell you…" She placed her claw on what she presumed would be his shoulder if he had an arm, and although it was an act of respect, once Vendrus turned to eye it, in the process meeting her gaze and noticing how close they were, they both turned away, blushes covering their faces.

"If they want me to fight," the Seviper then continued, apparently ignoring his blush as his voice remained quiet; although the meaning of it was powerful, "then they're going to have to make me."

Xandréa turned to look at him. "Make you?"

"Make me."

The Zangoose could feel humor rise from within the moment. "Wow…you sure are brave."

As she turned to eye him, watching as he, too, chuckled at the irony of it all, she realized that he was a pretty interesting person to talk to, which why it wasn't long before one comment led to another, and soon they both were engorged into a conversation about one another. Vendrus talked about his days of growing up among his pack, including how one time, while he was little, he got himself jammed in a Diglett hole and it took the whole pack to get him out. Xandréa, on the other hand, told stories of her family, about how she was the toughest sister out of a litter of five, and always the leader of the group.

Soon, it wasn't long before, as mentioned previously, they grew to feel like they weren't just talking to each other as members of their rivaling species.

They were talking as friends.

-ooo-

Before Xandréa the Zangoose and Vendrus the Seviper could realize it, night had fallen. They both wondered if the battle had ended yet, and what the outcome was. Had the Zangoose won? Had the Seviper won? Had it been a tie? Did the two packs realize their absence and presume them dead? Did they even care?

So many questions ran through their minds. Xandréa wondered if her family had gotten the news of her missing status and prepared for the worst, while Vendrus really had no one to wonder about, and therefore only sat quietly in the - now - campfire-lit cave as his Zangoose friend walked towards the entrance to peer at the darkness of the outside forest. It wasn't long before she walked back, her features displaying both thoughtfulness and worry at the same time. "Say, don't you think we should head back now?"

Immediately Vendrus' facial features contorted into ones of seriousness. "I told you - I'm not going back."

Xandréa's eyes displayed bewilderment. "You can't…_not_ go back."

"Yes I can," Vendrus replied, getting up so he could stretch out his tail. "If my pack only cares for war, then I don't see why I belong there." Just as Xandréa was about to retort, the Seviper added, "Besides…" He squirmed. "If we go back, we won't be able to see each other again."

Xandréa could feel herself blush at his comment, soon turning around and wondering why she was doing so. So what would she care if he missed her? She wouldn't care! They were friends…just friends…and besides, they had to go back! They couldn't survive alone in the area with the high amounts of Seviper and Zangoose lingering around – they would eventually be found. And she had a family to go back to, and –

The Zangoose turned to eye Vendrus with sympathy.

When she thought about it, she didn't want to leave Vendrus either.

However, she knew the truth, and what they both had to do. "Vendrus…we have to go back…we have nowhere else to go."

"I don't care. I'm not going back."

Xandréa snarled, her short-tempered attitude getting the best of her. "Listen here, you're really starting to piss me off!" she began, and although her tone was one of hatred, Vendrus found himself smiling in amusement. Of course, she ignored this. "You're going back whether you like it or not!"

And that's when the Seviper muttered the two words that had gotten him through the recent events – the two words that brought Xandréa to become flabbergasted.

"Make me."

The Zangoose, however, growled when she realized his arrogant expression, and she lunged forward, colliding with him and dragging them both to the ground. Soon their rolling stopped with her on top of him; the Seviper pinned down with her directly over his fallen, sprawled out figure. Soon their gazes were forced to make contact, and as they did, Xandréa found her brows rising as her anger dissipated into thin air, while Vendrus, finally gaining the ability to admire the beauty of her eyes due to their closeness, was able to calm his own teasing expression into one of emotionless bewilderment.

They both sat there, lost within each others' eyes, admiring the stunning features that they didn't know the other held, such as the way Xandréa's facial fur appeared silky, and Vendrus' scales shined in the glow of the campfire behind them. As they continued to keep eye contact, they found their breaths becoming locked up within their throats, the new emotions inside of them raging like wild blazes; and before they knew it, their eyelids had grown an unexplained urge to close.

"Wha…what are we doing?" Xandréa began, her voice slow as if she was in a trance, not noticing that her face was getting closer to Vendrus'.

"I…I don't know…" was all he replied, him beginning to lean in as well.

"This…this isn't right…we should stop…"

Vendrus' reply was one she wanted to hear.

"_Make me_."

Their faces grew closer, their hot breaths soon blowing across the other's jaw line…

"Hello? Is anyone in here?"

Immediately the two Pokemon pulled apart, eyes shooting towards the entrance to the cave where shadows of the intruders were already spread out across the wall. While Vendrus displayed bewilderment, Xandréa's eyes widened as she recognized the all-too-familiar silhouettes.

Zangoose.

Perhaps part of her own kind had indeed seen her run off, and after the battle was over, had formed a group to search for her. The light of the fire had brought them to the cave, and as they approached, Xandréa began to panic. If they found Vendrus then it would be the end for him, and if she stuck up for him…then she would probably be seen as a traitor due to her lack of an explanation. Quickly she brought her eyes to Vendrus, who was still pinned down beneath her, confused.

"My pack," she answered to his silent questions, "they must be looking for me." She jumped off of her Seviper friend, allowing the now-worried snake to return to standing. "You have to get out of here; return to your own pack for now through the back exit over there!" She pointed her claw to the tunnel that led deeper into the caverns, the revealed light of the full moon hinting towards a hidden entrance at the end.

Just as Vendrus was about to take off down the tunnel, he turned to Xandréa, aware that the feelings he felt towards her would be considered blasphemy. However, he couldn't help himself as he slithered over and nuzzled his snout into her cheek. "Promise we'll meet again soon…promise me we'll find a way to."

Xandréa gave in, nuzzling him back, even licking the scales at the tip of his snout. "We'll fix all of this…I promise."

And with that, Vendrus pulled away, beginning to head towards the tunnel; that is, before he turned his head back to mutter out one last request. "Don't forget me…"

Xandréa turned to eye him, watching as he disappeared through the back exit. She then watched as the Zangoose group noticed her, crowding around her with thanks to the heavens that she was okay, revealing to her that the battle had ended with a retreat from both packs. As she was then led out of the cave, she turned to eye the tunnel Vendrus had escaped down, somehow knowing that he was going to make it back home okay as well. In the midst of it all, she whispered out her late response to his last request – a sentence that consisted of two wise words she had learned from the very Seviper she had fallen in love with.

"If anyone ever wants me to forget you, then they're going to have to make me."

-ooo-

* * *

**The End

* * *

**

Hmm...I might make a sequel to this. xD

Anyway, thanks for reading!


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